06/24/2026
Dan Lawson House Cades Cove
The Dan Lawson House was first built in 1856 using hand-hewn logs. Over time, the home was expanded with frame additions, and eventually the entire structure was covered with siding. If you view the house from the side, the different stages of construction can still be seen where the additions were made. One feature that stands out is the brick chimney—something fairly uncommon for homes in this area at the time. The bricks were actually made right there on the property. Of the two small outbuildings nearby, the one closest to the house served as a smokehouse, while the other was used as a granary.
Dan Lawson served as the Cove’s postmaster for more than 25 years, and for much of that time the post office operated from the center room of this house. The small enclosed room on the front porch, which has a window opening into the interior, may have been where residents collected their mail. Another possibility is that Lawson used it as an office during the years he served as Justice of the Peace. Earlier on, the space likely functioned as a “stranger room,” a place where travelers or guests could stay.
In addition to his public roles, Dan Lawson ran a local store and owned one of the largest pieces of land in Cades Cove. During the 1890s, he and several other residents helped bring a telephone line into the valley. Because of this effort, a number of homes in Cades Cove had telephone service. Even those who didn’t have a phone at home could still use the one located at Lawson’s store.
